President’s Letter
By: Doreen Atkinson
Happy fall to you, my friends
This past month has been very busy for USAWE. Two Zone Championships were held successfully with great numbers, riders with both USAWE and international WAWE judges. Congratulations to all who were able to attend and enjoy the camaraderie, fun, laughter, and good rides. Unfortunately, I did not get to attend due to travel dilemmas. I did go to the Czech Republic and enjoyed learning by watching and judging 41 master rides in the European championship. It was fun to see the best in Europe compete and reassuring to see the same errors are made even at this competition as I have seen at our competitions, so it just proves the challenges are universal and occur with riders at all levels.
Our prayers and thoughts have been with our members and the citizens who were affected so terribly by the hurricane Helene and Milton. We are thankful to see many organizations who are supporting relief efforts and encourage members to support where they are able.
The USAWE board position elections are coming up soon. The nominees are set, so please be ready to vote for the positions that are open. We will have a new President Elect, At Large Director and some Regional Directors. Your vote matters so please watch for the ballot when it comes out November 1st. The candidate statement of each nominee is posted on our website.
It is bittersweet that I will have just one more newsletter article to write and will be finished with my term at the end of November. I would like to share many thanks to those who have been my workers, right hand help and overall “I could not have done this job without you” people. The best Clerical Assistant I’ve ever worked with is Kris Blacklock. Even in my professional business, I could say without a doubt she is the most valuable person when you need a job done. Jeanne Bond, my nickname for her is the Wizard of Oz, has been such a great advisor. With her many years of experience in the industry and over the years on our committees of USAWE, she has been a go to person. Unfortunately, she has decided to take a well-earned retirement from USAWE, and we will truly miss her. There are many shoes to fill with all she is doing. Kristine Strasburger will also be stepping back in her role to pursue a higher education. The jobs that she has done are too many to list. We have a need for volunteers to fill the positions that will be vacant at the end of the year.
To paraphrase JFK: “ask not what USAWE can do for you but what can you do for USAWE?” And as Uncle Sam says, “we want you” VOLUNTEERS! We have a new volunteer coordinator, Emily Osborne, and you can contact her at volunteercoordinator@usawe.org
SO IF THERE IS A SKILL YOU HAVE, I BET WE CAN FIND A JOB FOR YOU!!
See you next month and I hope that you have a fun filled WE month.